Clutch control device for sewing machines



May 22, 1956 J. BRYSON CLUTCH CONTROL DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 2. 1954 INVENTOR. James L. 31195022 ATTORNEY United States Patent CLUTCH CONTROL DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES James L. Bryson, Clifton, N. L, assignor to Bryson Manugacturing Co., Inc., Clifton, N. J., a corporation of New ersey Application November 2, 1954, Serial No. 466,280

8 Claims. (Cl. 192-129) This invention relates to a device for the control of sewing machines, clutches, brakes, or other mechanisms. The device includes a casing which may be secured to the sewing machine or to the support for the same, and a shaft journalled in the casing and extending exteriorly thereof for connection with a sewing machine part to be actuated by virtue of said connection. The shaft may be normally urged to rotate in a given direction but may be held by latch means against rotation so that as long as the latch means are operative, the sewing machine part would notbe actuated by virtue of connection. Thus for example, the connection referred to may be between the shaft and the sewing machine drive clutch. The device further contemplates the provision of a control for the latch means described, said control being normally inoperative, but becoming operative responsive to a condition in the machine, as, for example, responsive to a breakdown in the normal operation of the sewing machine closing a control circuit to actuate a member which is thus brought into engagement with the latching means, disengaging the same and enabling the shaft to rotate, to thereby move the sewing machine clutch to an inoperative position. The machine may be reset on correction of the breakdown repeating the control cycle. A single operator may thus control a battery of machines equipped with this invention.

The control device of the present invention is comparatively positive and fool-proof in operation and may be readily set and re-set as required with a minimum of attention by the operator.

These and other advantageous objects, which will appear from the drawings and from the description hereinafter, are accomplished by the structure of my invention, of which an embodiment is illustrated in the drawings. It will be apparent, from a consideration of said drawings and the following description, that the invention may be embodied in other forms suggested thereby, and such other forms as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered within the scope and purview of the instant invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a clutch control device embodying the invention, with the shaft shown held against rotation bythe latching means,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the latching mechanism in en'- easem t Fig. '3 is a fragmentary elevational view taken on line 3 of Fig. 1, showing the latching means disengaged'responsive to the closing of electric circuit on the occurrence of a condition in the machine above referred to,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view corresponding with Fig. 2 but showing the position of the parts when the first shaft is rotated responsive to closing of the electric circuit upon the occurrence of the condition in the machine, also indicated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view which shows the manual disengagement of the latching means, pursuant to the invention, 1

Fig. 6 is a schematic, fragmentary elevational view parts 26, 40 of the machine in the position as shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view of said parts in the position shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in the drawing, the clutch control device in this invention comprises a casing 10 which may be of any suitable outline that illustrated in the drawings being.

generally cup-shaped, and normally closed by a cover (not shown). A first shaft 11 is rotatably journalled in said casing and extends exteriorly thereof (as at 11a); Means such as a spring 12 whose opposite ends engage the shaft 11 and the casing 10 urge the shaft to rotate in a given direction (as for example, counter-clockwise, viewing the parts as shown in Fig. 2). The portion 11a of the shaft is disposed exteriorly of the casing for connection with a sewing machine part to be actuated by virtue of said connection to a given position only on rotation of the shaft responsive to; the urging means 12. Thus for example, the exterior end 11-a of the shaft may have fixed thereto a link 13 which, in turn, may be connected to a rod 14 which, by suitable linkage (not shown) may be connected to a second rod 15. Thus rotary movement of the shaft 11 may be translated to reciprocatory movement (indicated by the arrow 16 in Fig. 1) so that on rotation of. the shaft 11 responsive to the means 12 a clutch for example, controlled by the rod 15 may be disengaged. The shaft 11 is held normally against rotation responsive to the means 12 by a latch means below described.

A second shaft 20 is rotatably journalled in the casing and said shafts are provided with interengaging means for rotatingone shaft on rotation'of the other. The interengaging means may be intermeshing gears, for example, as shown in Fig. 2, and the shaft 11 may have a gear segment 21 keyed thereto in mesh with a pinion gear 22 keyed to shaft20. The ends 23, 24 (Fig. l) of gear segment 21 may engage the casing to serve as stops at the extreme of each direction of rotation of the shaft. The latch means above mentioned may comprise an arm 26 mounted in the. casing as for example, by pivotally journalling the arm on the shaft 11 (Fig. 2). The second shaft may be provided with a member 27 keyed thereto andhaving a shoulder 28. The arm 26 may be provided with a shouldered portion 29 (Fig. 4) for registration with shoulder 28 of member 27 on the second shaft. The parts would be initially set by rotating the shaft 11 against the tension of the urging means 12 as for example, by means of the handle 30 keyed to end l1-b of the shaft 11 (Fig. 1) until the shouldered portions 28, 29 engage as shown in Fig. 4. A spring 31 which may be fixed to one end of the casing, the other end bearing against the arm 26 or other means may be utilized to urge the arm into position of interengagement of the shouldered portions shown in Fig. 2 so that said shafts may be so latched against rotation responsive to the urging means 12. Therebythe sewing machine part (as for example, the clutch) might not be disengaged normally.

The latch means described may be disengaged responsive to the occurrenceof a condition in the sewing machine, as for example, a condition on which the clutch should be disengaged, by provision of means such as an electric circuit 32, schematically illustrated in Fig. 1 at 32, 33, completed through C on the occurrence of a condition in the machine reflecting by closing of said circuit through C. Thus the occurrence of said condition would close the circuit from one point 32, 33 through C and to the wires 34, 35 for actuation of solenoid or the like, 36, drawing core 37 inwardly at the solenoid as indicated in Fig. 3. A lever 40 is pivotally mounted as at 41 (Fig. 4) on a part 42 fixed to the casing, thereby disposing the said lever to the casing for rotation (Fig. 7) in a plane 49 at right angles to the plane of pivotal movement of the arm. The lever is connected to core 37 of solenoid 36, as for example, by providing it with a forked end 43 (Figs. 2, 3 and which may straddle a reduced part 44 of the core 37 intermediate enlarged spaced collars 45, 46 on the core 37, and means such as a spring 47 (Fig. 1) bearing against the free end of the rod interiorly of the solenoid 36 and against the solenoid normally rotate the lever to the position shown in Fig. l at which it will not disengage latch parts 2627. Lever has a free end 48 normally disposed adjacent the free end of the arm 26. said end 48 of the lever having a bevelled portion 49 (Figs. 6 and 7) which, in the position of the parts shown in Fig. 2 is intersected by the plane 50 (Fig. 6) of the free end 51 of the arm 26 when the latter is in the latched position shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The normal position for the lever 40 is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 wherein bevelled portion 49 of the free end 48 of the rod 40 is adjacent but not in operative contact with the free end 51 of arm 26. On completion of the electric circuit through the solenoid 36, the lever will be rotated from the Fig. l to the Figs. 3, 4 and 7 position wherein the bevelled end 49 of the lever engages the free end of the arm and lifts it so as to disengage the shouldered portions 28, 29 of latch parts 26, 27 and enables the first shaft 11 to rotate responsive to the means 12 urging the same. Thus the sewing machine part, as for example, the clutch, will be moved to the given position (for example the inoperative position) responsive to the occurrence of a condition in the machine which closes the circuit 32, 33, 34, 35. When the condition has been remedied, the device may be reset by simply rotating the shaft 11 by means of handle 30 back to the position shown in Fig. 2.

If it is desired to manually disengage the latch means, that end may be attained (Fig. 5) by moving a pin 52 which is normally held in spaced relation as shown in Fig. 3 to the lever (as by spring 53 interposed between the thumb piece 54 fixed to the pin 52 and the casing). When the pin is depressed from the Fig. 3 position to that shown in Fig. 5 it will contact lever 40 and rotate the same in the same manner as would the solenoid 36.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A clutch control for actuating a sewing machine part comprising a casing, 11 first shaft rotatably journalled therein, means urging said shaft to rotate in a given direction, said shaft extending exteriorly of the casing for connection with the sewing machine part, the latter being actuated by virtue of said connection to a given position only on rotation of the shaft responsive to said urging means, a second shaft rotatably journalled in said casing, interengaging means on said shafts for rotating one shaft on rotation of the other, an arm mounted in said casing, a shouldered member on the second shaft, said arm having a free end, and also having a shouldered portion for registration with the shouldered portion of the member on the second shaft, means urging said arm to a position of interengagement of said shouldered portions, so that said shafts may be so latched against rotation responsive to said urging means, whereby the sewing machine part will not be disposed in said given position, a lever, means disposing said lever in said casing for movement in a plane at right angles to the plane of pivotal movement of the arm, with one end of the lever adjacent the free end of the arm, said end of the lever having a bevelled portion intersected by the plane of the free end of the arm when the latter is in latched position, and means actuated responsive to a condition in the sewing machine to move the lever to a position wherein its bevelled end will engage the free end of the arm and lift it so as to disengage said shouldered portions and enable the first shaft to rotate responsive to the means urging the same, to thus move the sewing machine part to its said given position.

2. In a clutch control as set forth in claim 1, means in said casing for engaging the lever to urge it to a position wherein the bevelled end thereof will be clear of the free end of the arm.

3. In a clutch control as set forth in claim 1, said arm being so mounted by being pivotally journalled on the first shaft.

4. In a clutch control as set forth in claim 1, said interengaging means on said shafts being intermeshing gears.

5. In a clutch control as set forth in claim 1, said interengaging means on said shafts being a gear segment on one shaft and a gear on the other shaft in mesh therewith, the ends of said gear segment engaging the casing to serve as stops at the extreme of each direction of rotation of the shaft.

6. In a clutch control as set forth in claim 1, means engaging the casing to limit the extreme of each direction of rotation of the first shaft.

7. A clutch control for sewing machines comprising a casing, a first shaft rotatably journalled therein, spring means urging said shaft to rotate in a given direction, said shaft extending exteriorly of the casing for connection with a sewing machine part actuated by virtue of said connection, to a given position, only on rotation of the shaft, responsive to said urging means, a second shaft rotatably journalled in said casing, interengaging means on said shafts for rotating one shaft on rotation of the other, an arm mounted in said casing, a shouldered member on the second shaft, said arm having a shouldered portion for registration with the shouldered portion of the member on the second shaft, spring means urging said arm to a position of interengagement of said shouldered portions, so that said shafts may be so latched against rotation responsive to said urging means whereby the sewing machine part will not be disposed in said given position, a lever, means pivotally disposing said lever in said casing for rotaton in an arc in a plane at right angles to the plane of pivotal movement of the arm, said arm having a free end, said lever having a bevelled portion intersected by the transverse plane of the free end of the arm when the latter is in latched position, a spring-urged rod engaging the lever urging it to a position wherein the bevelled end thereof will be clear of the free end of the arm, and electromagnetic means actuated responsive to a condition in the sewing machine to move the rod to in turn move the lever to a position wherein its bevelled end will engage the free end of the arm and lift it so as to disengage said shouldered portions and enable the first shaft to rotate.

8. In a clutch control as set forth in claim 1, manually operable resetting means to engage the lever.

Schwartz Apr. 6, 1954 

